Snapshots of Time XI
by hummerhouse
Summary: Momentary glimpses of life, captured and placed into an album. Drabble sets. Some stories may contain TCest.


Snapshots of Time XI

 **Chores**

Vacuuming the lair wasn't Don's least favorite job; dusting was, and that was Mikey's assigned task for the week. Therefore, Don couldn't fault Mikey for putting it off in favor of playing a few video games.

Really, really loud video games. Since Don couldn't hear himself think, he'd decided to get his chore over with rather than procrastinating until later.

When Don pushed the vacuum past the kitchen, he spotted Raph inside, busily mopping the floor. They nodded at one another and continued working.

Leo had the bathroom cleaning detail this week and had wasted no time taking care of that task. Their oldest brother never goldbricked; he was always the first to jump on his chores. Since he was currently nowhere in sight, Don guessed that Leo was in his own room, either reading or meditating.

Mikey started shouting at the television screen, whether at his character or his enemies Don couldn't be sure. It was a wonder that Master Splinter didn't come out and urge his youngest son to quiet down, but he rarely did. Don thought their father was inured to the noise after years of hearing it.

When Don began to vacuum the living area, Mikey rocked from side to side in order to see around his brother. Mikey didn't even bother to get up from the couch; his focus while playing a video game rivaled even that of Leonardo's.

Raph came out of the kitchen and walked over to the box where they kept magazines, selecting one to flip through. His job done, Raph was taking a brief break before heading into the dojo to lift weights. Don had promised to spot him and Raph was waiting for his brother to be free.

Shoving the coffee table aside and pushing the chairs out of the way, Don vacuumed the entirety of the room with the noise from Mikey's game ringing in his ears. After he set the furniture back into position, Don looked over at Mikey and frowned. There was one last thing to do and Don would be finished for the day.

"Mikey, get up," Don said. "I need to vacuum under the couch."

His youngest brother appeared not to have heard. Mikey bounced on the couch, his eyes glued to the television and his fingers pasted to the controller.

"Mikey!" Don exclaimed, trying to get his brother's attention, but the effort was futile.

Don contemplated pulling the plug on the game, but the last time he'd done that Mikey had pranked him for two weeks solid. Though quite capable of retaliating, Don really wasn't in the mood for a gag war.

"Mikey, hit the pause button!" Don called, tapping the bottom edge of the couch with the vacuum cleaner. Neither the words or the action got through to Mikey.

Frustrated, Don seriously thought about running over Mikey's feet with the vacuum. Surely that would get his brother's attention. From the corner of his eye, Don saw Raph coming towards them, his stride purposeful.

Raph was shaking his head as he approached, lifting a hand to signal that Don should back up.

"The problem with ya', Donny, is that ya' are way too patient," Raph pronounced with a grin. Stepping up to the end of the couch, Raph got a solid grip on the arm and lifted.

With a shout, Mikey tumbled onto the floor, unceremoniously dumped there as Raph raised the couch high enough for Don to push the vacuum beneath it.

"Hey!" Mikey yelled, jumping indignantly to his feet.

Don couldn't help but smile as he ran the vacuum under the couch. The sound on the television was abruptly turned off as Mikey pressed the pause button on his game.

"Next time pay attention," Raph told Mikey when Don was finished.

When Raph set the couch back into position, Mikey climbed back onto it and said, "You're just showing off for Donny."

Don set the vacuum cleaner aside as Mikey started his game. Grabbing the end of the couch, Don shoved it upright and spilled Mikey onto the floor a second time.

After he lowered the couch, Mikey crawled over to it, rising up on his knees to lean against the couch arm. His glare had both Don and Raph laughing.

Disgruntled, Mikey said, "Now you're showing off for Raph! Why don't you two get a room and leave me alone?"

Raph winked at Don and said, "Maybe we will."

The pair heard Mikey muttering angrily under his breath when they started to walk away. Turning as one unit, they both pushed against the back of the couch and threw Mikey forward onto the ground.

"Dudes, you made me lose the game!" Mikey wailed. "Now what am I supposed to do?"

Raph went on into the dojo, but Don turned at the door and said, "You could always break out the duster, Mikey."

He ducked into the dojo in time to avoid being hit by the game controller.

 **Not Alike**

"Anything on your side?" Raph asked, crossing the roof towards his friend.

Casey shook his head and looked up. "Nah. It's dead here. Let's go a couple blocks over."

"Sounds good," Raph said. As he turned to leave, he saw Casey reach down to scratch himself.

The noise of an altercation met their ears as the pair reached a street corner several blocks away. Peering over the roof, they saw five teen boys engaging in a shouting match with three others and a girl.

Knowing how easily those things tended to escalate, Raph tipped his head towards the street and Casey nodded. Leading the way over the side of the building, Raph observed Casey taking a brief time out to scratch.

It didn't take much more than surprising the teens to break them apart. As they scattered, Casey stood on the sidewalk laughing and scratching himself.

Raph was in the shadows of a nearby alley having a good chuckle as well. When he spotted Casey digging at his balls, Raph frowned.

Fifteen minutes later the episode was forgotten as the mismatched pair dove into a fight with a handful of Purple Dragons.

Casey expertly batted away the chains that were flung at his head and Raph gleefully stripped the pipes from another gang member's hands. One Dragon was actually gutsy enough to pull a gun and aim it at Raph's shell, but a hard downward strike from Casey's baseball bat broke the man's hand before he could pull the trigger.

Together Casey and Raph used the plastic zip ties that Casey had begun to carry in his bag to incapacitate the captured Purple Dragons. Leaving the Dragons in front of the electronics store they'd attempted to rob, the crime fighters once more took to the rooftops.

While they waited to make sure the police arrived to pick up the Dragons, Casey surreptitiously scratched, his back partially turned to Raph. The Turtle put a little distance between them to give his partner some privacy.

They were finally able to return to patrolling, though every time they stopped, Casey's hand found its way between his legs. Raph thought of and discarded several jokes, but finally decided that discretion was the better part of valor and kept his mouth shut.

Just after two in the morning, the pair happened upon another group of Purple Dragons in the process of stealing goods from a tire store. A truck was backed up to an open work bay, and the Dragons had formed a supply line, rolling tires from one man to the next, with the last man tossing them into the back of the truck.

They had also managed to snag a fair sized pile of car batteries and miscellaneous tools. While five men worked, one man stood watch, carefully scanning the area for police and probably for Casey and Raph as well.

Raph pointed at the lookout and glanced at Casey to make sure he saw the man. Casey's face wore the concentrated expression he got just before a big fight, but he was also unconsciously scratching himself.

"Ya' want I should take him?" Casey asked, his fingers digging at his groin.

Rolling his eyes, Raph said, "No, I'll get him. Stealth ain't exactly your thing. As soon as he goes down, barrel into the ones inside the store. I'll take the guys nearest the truck."

Casey dropped his mask over his face and climbed down a ladder while Raph slid silently down a drain pipe. Pressing his back against the side of the building, Casey waited as Raph disappeared from his sight.

A moment later, the Dragon on watch disappeared too; only a mild thud letting Casey know that Raph had taken care of the man. Taking his cue, Casey dove through the open bay and tackled the first man in his path.

Raph leaped into the back of the truck as soon as one of Casey's victims cried out. Grabbing a tire, the Turtle jumped for the man closest to the bumper, sliding the tire over the man's head and shoulders in a single smooth movement.

Arms pinned to his sides, the man shouted for help and when a Dragon ran to render aid, Raph shoved the trapped man into him. The pair collided with a loud thump and went down together in a heap. Raph used the hilt of his sais to knock both men out cold.

When Raph looked up he saw a Dragon come flying out of the store, his body hitting the pavement and rolling to a stop near Raph's feet. Jumping back, Raph ignored the unconscious man as he tried to locate Casey.

A yell turned Raph's head and he spotted his friend grappling with another Dragon. They were trading blows, both using their fists, and from the sound of things Casey was having a great time. Raph grinned; sometimes nothing beat the down and dirty of bare knuckle brawling.

Raph crossed his arms over his plastron and watched, knowing his buddy could take the guy. After a few minutes, Casey delivered a punishing uppercut to the man that sent him sprawling onto the pavement.

Chest heaving, Casey stood over the Dragon and waited to see if he'd get up. The gang member lifted his head about an inch off the ground before his eyes rolled back and he passed out.

Grinning, Casey stared at the man he'd just defeated and then started scratching himself.

Raph shook his head and began walking towards his friend. He was still a few feet away when the last Dragon, who Raph thought had run away, popped out of hiding. In his hands he held a tire jack and he lifted it, swinging the weapon right at the back of Casey's head.

With a shout, Raph dove through the air, his powerful leap taking him between Casey and the man. The tire jack slammed into Raph's carapace and bounced back, but before the Dragon could try again, Casey turned around.

Raph landed on his shoulder and rolled into an upright position as Casey came in under the Dragon's swing and landed a solid punch to the man's face. The tire jack and the Dragon hit the asphalt at the same time, the gang member out like a light.

The sound of approaching sirens sent Raph and Casey running. They covered a block at ground level, then escaped to the rooftops at their first opportunity.

Slowing to a walk, Casey pulled his mask up to the top of his head and then cracked his knuckles. Raph walked a few steps behind him, glaring at his friend's back. When Casey once more began groping himself, Raph lost his temper.

Grabbing Casey's elbow, Raph swung the man around and snapped, "Dammit Casey! Ya' almost got your head bashed in back there all because ya' were too busy scratching your balls ta pay attention. You've been digging between your legs all night; what the fuck is wrong with ya'?"

Chagrined, Casey mopped his hair from his eyes and said, "I got a major case of jock itch, okay? Excuse the hell out of me. It itches like crazy. Ain't you ever had that problem?"

Raph snorted and then smirked at his friend. "No I have not. We may have a lot of things in common, but in that area we are not alike. Turtles don't get jock itch."

"Well shit, I guess now ya' think you're better than me," Casey said belligerently. "I'm calling it a night."

As he stormed off, Raph couldn't help but laugh. "Sometimes ya' act just like a pissy little girl," Raph called after him. "Make sure ya' clear that up before we go hunting again. I ain't gonna keep saving your ass 'cause ya' can't keep from scratching your nuts."

Casey's only reply was a lifted middle finger which made Raph laugh even harder.

 **Scent**

The dining room table inside Casey's farmhouse was covered in parts as Don worked to fix the old ham radio he'd found in the basement.

His brothers had fussed at him when they saw him taking the thing apart, telling him he was supposed to be relaxing and enjoying himself, not working on another broken piece of junk. Don had told them that repairing the ham radio was relaxing and that he might even let them play with it once he'd put it back together.

Raph had muttered the word 'crazy' under his breath and wandered off to parts unknown. Leo and Mikey had decided to take a nature hike, one that would probably wind up with them screwing each other's brains out.

It came as something of a shock to Don when he heard Mikey shouting from somewhere out in the yard. Leaping up from the table, Don raced for the door, fearful that something had happened to Leo.

Don cleared the front porch in a single bound, not bothering with the stairs, and then came to a sliding halt at the sight before him.

Leo was a few yards ahead of Mikey, his hand over his mouth and nose. Behind him, Mikey shuffled towards the house, head down and eyes watering badly. Between fits of coughing, Mikey kept yelling, "Do something!"

"What the shell happened?" Don demanded.

Leo looked up at him. "Mikey had a run in with a skunk."

"He what?" Don asked incredulously. Then a breeze kicked up, blowing in his direction. The wind carried with it the pungent aroma of eau de skunk cologne.

Clapping a hand over his face, Don signaled for Mikey to stop where he was. His youngest brother gazed at him pitifully.

"We tried washing the smell off of him in the lake," Leo said. "That wasn't effective."

"It didn't get in his eyes, did it?" Don asked.

"No," Leo told him. "He jumped back as soon as he saw it, but he'd already scared the skunk enough that it had started to spray. Mikey's leap kept the spray from hitting his face, but the rest of him got pretty saturated."

"The smell is making me tear up, dude. How do I get it off?" Mikey asked desperately.

Don did a quick inventory of the things that were in the house and then told his brother, "Strip off your gear and leave it outside, including your nunchucks. I'll deal with the smell on them later. Stay out here until I'm ready for you. Leo, come with me."

They left Mikey in the yard and went into the house. Don made straight for the kitchen, with Leo tagging along right behind him. When he reached the pantry, Don flung open the door and began handing cans to a startled Leo.

"Tomato sauce?" Leo asked as he glanced at one of the cans.

"I sure am glad Mikey likes pizza so much," Don said, grabbing a giant cooking pot and filling it with more cans of sauce. "Grab the can opener and head up to the bathroom. I'll meet you there in a second."

Leo didn't bother asking any further questions, instead doing as his brother asked. He was just setting the cans on the floor when Don came in.

Taking the can opener from Leo, Don nodded at the tub and told his brother, "Put the plug in but don't turn on the water."

As Leo plugged the drain he heard the sound of the electric opener going to work. When he turned around, Don handed an open can to him and said, "Dump it into the tub."

"Is Mikey going to bathe in this?" Leo asked, following Don's directions.

"Yep," Don said, handing another can to his brother.

They had the tub a quarter of the way filled with tomato sauce when they ran out of cans. Don stood up and flung the bathroom window wide open, and then the brothers hauled the empties downstairs and piled them in the sink.

"Get Mikey upstairs and into the tub," Don said. "I'm going down to the cellar; I'm pretty sure there are a few more cans of sauce down there."

"Any instructions?" Leo asked as he jogged towards the door.

"Have him roll in the sauce and get as much on him as possible," Don answered before going into the cellar.

He heard Mikey's voice when he came back up with a grocery bag filled with additional cans of tomato sauce. Don could smell the distinctly noxious odor of skunk as he stepped into the kitchen and placed the cans on the table so that he could open several downstairs windows.

That done, he picked up the bag and ran upstairs.

"I don't want to roll around in tomato sauce," Mikey was whining as Don came through the door. "I want to get this smell off of me."

Don set the first can into the opener and said, "That's what we're trying to do, Mikey. The tomato sauce will break down some of the compounds in the skunk spray and allow you to wash it off in a more conventional manner later. The smell isn't going to go away very soon unless you do this first."

He passed the can along to Leo as he talked and glanced up to make sure his older brother was drenching Mikey in the sauce. The smell in the bathroom had been nearly overwhelming when Don first walked in, but now it was becoming tolerable.

With the last of the sauce covering Mikey's body, Don stepped out of the bathroom to open some upstairs windows so that the smell would dissipate. The entire time that he and Leo had been ministering to the hapless Mikey, the youngest had continued to moan and whine about his misfortune.

The constant griping was starting to grate on Don's nerves. He had never figured out why Mikey did that even when he knew that the fussing was pointless.

Sudden silence fell over the house and it took a minute before Don noticed it. Walking back to the bathroom, he peeked inside, seeing Leo kneeling next to the tub.

Mikey was gazing in wide eyed wonderment at his brother, who had lifted one of Mikey's hands and was carefully licking his palm. As Don watched, Leo swallowed Mikey's thumb, which elicited a gasp from the youngest.

"What is that smell?" Raph demanded as he strode towards Don.

"Skunk," Don said, still staring at the erotic scene in front of him. "Mikey got sprayed and we're giving him a tomato sauce bath to get the scent off."

"Ya' sure that's all you're doing, 'cause it sure as shell looks like Leo's trying to eat Mikey," Raph said with a grin.

Rather than answering him, Don ducked into the bathroom and kneeled down next to Leo. Reaching into the tub, he lifted one of Mikey's legs and began licking his calf.

Mikey was already panting from the attention Leo was paying to his hand, and Don's action brought up an immediate churr from the youngest. Stunned, Raph stared at them for a few minutes wondering at the kinky nature of tomato sauce before finally clearing his throat.

"Damn," Raph said in a guttural tone, "how do _I_ go about getting sprayed by a skunk?"


End file.
